Discount Tire, Part One - Knowing What You Want

A few weeks ago, I was at Discount Tire waiting for service, when I witnessed a situation that absolutely floored me.

Just a few feet away from me, a man was discussing the price for buying new tires with an employee.

In a matter of 30 seconds, he negotiated the price down from over $500 to something in the upper $300 range.

I sat there, absolutely aghast.

I had NO IDEA you could negotiate the price of tires.

I've purchased two new sets of tires (winter and regular) at Discount Tire in last three years and it never occurred to me to ask for a different price. I thought the listed price was the price, full stop.

It was such a short, simple situation, but it got me thinking about asking for what we want - and when you don't even know what's possible, it locks you into a version of reality that feels final, but it's not.

This is true in our careers, our lives, and, yes....when purchasing tires 😀

How do you unlock yourself from your current reality and see new possibilities?

• Look to others to see what's possible: You don't need to copy their path, but use it as inspiration. You better believe I'll be negotiating my next tire purchase - and it has me wondering what else might be negotiable as well!

• Coach yourself: Ask yourself, what options might be possible that I'm not considering? If I had a magic wand in this situation, what would I do?

• Get a coach: One of the great things about having a coach is they ask you questions that get you out of your own head so you can see situations and possibilities in a different light. I can't tell you the number of coaching clients who have said to me, "I've never thought about that before. Yes, I can do that!" Learn more about coaching here.

Bottom line: You have to know what's possible before you can ask for it.

Start looking.